Karl G. Wellner Named President of the Board of The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the World’s First Child Protective Services Agency

Published 9:45 AM ET Mon, 26 Feb 2018
Globe Newswire

Wellner Succeeds David R. Stack Who Served as President for Sixteen Years

Wellner and His Wife, Inside Edition Anchor Deborah Norville, Have Supported The NYSPCC since 2005

NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Karl Wellner, Chairman and CEO of Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management, was elected President of the Board of The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (The NYSPCC), the first child protective services agency in the world. The decision was announced today by Mary Pulido, Ph.D., Executive Director of The NYSPCC.

The NYSPCC is dedicated to responding to the complex needs of abused and neglected children, and those involved in their care, by providing best practice counseling, legal and educational services. The NYSPCC has investigated more than 650,000 cases on behalf of over 2,000,000 children since its founding in 1875, and has educated over 50,000 professionals on how to identify and report child abuse and neglect.

Wellner, a native of Sweden and a graduate of the Stockholm School of Economics, is Chairman of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce and Trustee of several philanthropic organizations. He was previously a Vice President of The NYSPCC Board, a position he held since 2011. He was first elected to the Board in 2005 and is a Chairman of its annual Food & Wine Gala fundraising event. He also serves on the Executive, Finance, Governance and Development & Communications Committees. Wellner’s wife, journalist Deborah Norville, is also a long-time supporter of The NYSPCC. She’s been a member of The Society’s Children’s Council since 2012, and most recently, she hosted the 2017 Food & Wine Gala.

“Everyone involved with The NYSPCC firmly believes that child abuse is preventable. We need education, resources, training and laws to protect those who are most vulnerable. I pledge to continue fighting to prevent child abuse and help the healing process for those who’ve been victims,” said Wellner.

Wellner succeeds David R. Stack, a partner at the law firm McLaughlin & Stern. Stack was President of The NYSPCC Board since 2001. He first joined the Board of Directors in 1989.

“It has been an honor and a privilege for me to serve The NYSPCC, supporting the important work they do to protect children from abuse and neglect,” said David Stack. “Having served alongside Karl for so many years, I know The Society will remain strong and steadfast in its life-saving mission under his stewardship.”

“The NYSPCC is thrilled to have Karl Wellner as Board President,” said Pulido. “Karl has been a tireless advocate for NYC’s vulnerable children, and instrumental in furthering our critical child abuse prevention efforts. We are forever grateful to David Stack for his many years of leadership and commitment to The NYSPCC. We are fortunate to have Karl leading the way going forward.”

For over 140 years, The NYSPCC has developed and implemented innovative mental health, legal and educational programs that protect children from harm. Until the late 19th century, no laws effectively protected children from maltreatment — though ironically, anti-cruelty laws for animals were enacted in 1828. The NYSPCC changed all that; becoming early crusaders for the conviction and punishment of those who abuse children. Almost the entire body of modern child protective legislation is rooted in laws advocated by The NYSPCC. The NYPSCC maintains the George Sim Johnston Archives, which serve as one of the nation’s most valuable repositories of original and compiled material on the origins, history and development of the child protection movement.

Elbridge T. Gerry, Jr., the great grandson of The NYSPCC’s co-founder, has been on the Board of Directors since 1959. He is currently the Honorary Director.

Today, through initiatives like Safe Touches, which offers workshops that teach children, parents and schools how to prevent child sexual abuse; and the Trauma Recovery Program, which offers a specialized therapeutic program for children who have experienced physical or sexual abuse, neglect, traumatic bereavement or who have witnessed family violence, Dr. Pulido, Wellner and The NYSPCC work tirelessly to keep children safe.

The NYSPCC also continues to advocate for legislation to protect children, including the Child Victims Act in New York — which would extend the statute of limitations in child abuse cases to age 50 in civil cases, and to age 28 in criminal cases — and Education Law 23-B; which currently protects children in New York State public and charter schools, but leaves thousands who attend private school at risk for abuse.

On April 17, The NYSPCC will welcome Olympic Gold and Silver medalist McKayla Maroney to speak at their seventh annual Spring Luncheon, in her first public appearance since her abuse allegations against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar were revealed. Maroney will speak about her journey of recovery and healing from child sexual abuse at the event, which will raise money for vulnerable children and give them the chance to heal.

About Karl WellnerKarl Wellner joined Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management in 2003 as President and CEO. Mr. Wellner was previously President and CEO of Key Asset Management (USA) Inc. Mr. Wellner is also Founder, partner/shareholder of KAWE Kapital, one of the first members of the Tallinn Stock Exchange in Estonia and largest independent investment management firms in the country. He was previously Director of Business Development at Bank Julius Baer in New York and CEO of JS Products, the U.S. subsidiary of an investment firm within the Volvo Group. Mr. Wellner also served as CEO of Habsburg, Feldman, the U.S. affiliate of the Geneva-based fine art auctioneer. Mr. Wellner is a native of Sweden and a graduate of the Stockholm School of Economics. He is fluent in English, Swedish, German, French, Estonian and is proficient in Italian and Russian. Mr. Wellner is Chairman of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce and Trustee of several philanthropic organizations.

About The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to ChildrenThe New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC), founded in 1875, is the first -- and one of the most highly respected -- child protective agencies in the world. The NYSPCC responds to the complex needs of abused and neglected children, and those involved in their care, by providing best practice counseling, legal and educational services. Through research, communications and training initiatives, we work to expand these programs to prevent abuse and help more children heal. The NYSPCC's unique work is used as a model for child welfare agencies across the nation. Since its founding, The NYSPCC has investigated more than 650,000 cases on the behalf of over two million children, and has educated over 50,000 professionals on how to identify and report child abuse and neglect. Please visit www.nyspcc.org for more information.